October 3, 2006

Commentary on S.2590 in Information Today

Information Today has a good article on the history and future of S.2590, the database of the federal grants and contracts. The author notes that, The database will only be as good as the data included in it. The current data…
September 29, 2006

GAO reports on grants performance accountability

GAO released a new report today titled Enhancing Performance Accountability Provisions Could Lead to Better Results (full report, highlights). GAO’s recommendations are as follows: GAO recommends that the Director of OMB work with agencies and Congress to encourage the use of…
September 28, 2006

Franchise funds and the GMLOB

We’ve been doing some research into the business models that are driving the various Lines of Business initiatives, and recently compiled some information about Federal franchise funds that we thought might be good to share. “Franchise funds” is a 1994 program…
September 27, 2006

FPDS-NG likely to be used for S.2590

This GCN article suggests that OMB is seriously considering utilizing FPDS-NG to deliver the datababse of federal grants spending. Even though all three databases have their flaws, most government officials believe that, with a few tweaks, FPDS-NG is the best place…
September 22, 2006

Grants.gov moving host

More details have emerged about Anteon/General Dynamics’ plans for Grants.gov, namely that hosting will be done by Carpathia, an Ashburn, VA, provider that has worked with Anteon in the past. I’d expressed doubts about the budgetary feasibility of the Anteon/GD…

NIH bill establishes electronic coding and reporting requirements

A new bill is on its way to reauthorize the NIH for a few years, reports GovExec, and includes provisions to establish an electronic scientific coding system and requirements for reporting patents resulting from NIH grant funding. It also allows for…

OMB’s high-risk IT list — grants management features prominently

Since August 2005, OMB has maintained a list of IT projects considered “high-risk”. As OMB notes on its Information Policy site, “Projects on the High Risk List are not necessarily “at risk,” but are those requiring special attention from the highest…
September 21, 2006

Details on Anteon’s Grants.gov e‑forms solution

Through the wonders of Google I found this press release from General Dynamics about the Anteon Grants.gov contract win. Included in it is the following statement: Utilizing the Adobe® LifeCycle® forms server and a search application, the General Dynamics’ Grants.gov system will…
September 20, 2006

Blu-Ray and HD-DVD will be irrelevant within 2 years

So high-definition video discs are hitting the stores now and yet again the electronics industry has shot itself (and early adopters) in the foot. Only, I think this is a lot worse than the Betamax-versus-VHS nonsense we all suffered through, or did…
September 19, 2006

An Exercise Left to the Reader in “Godel’s Proof” by Nagel and Newman

In 1931, the mathematician Kurt Godel showed that any axiomatic system in natural number theory that is “complete” (can prove every postulate that is true) will not be “consistent” (it will prove a postulate that is false).  While having an impact…